Manhattan’s luxurious hotel, The Mark, has filed a lawsuit against a 19-year-old named Theodore Weintraub for defamation. The trouble began when Weintraub, then 17, attempted to buy alcohol using a fake ID. He repeatedly chose The Mark’s bar, located in one of Manhattan’s most exclusive hotels, but was consistently denied due to his young appearance. Eventually, Weintraub was banned from the hotel entirely.
However, Weintraub returned to The Mark earlier this summer with another protester named John Doe, engaging in disruptive protests outside the hotel. They chanted slogans such as “The Mark Denies the Holocaust,” “The Mark Spreads Disease,” and “The Mark Supports Epstein.” The protests escalated, and a sidewalk brawl broke out between the protesters and rapper Drake’s fans who were staying at the hotel.
While it is unclear why Weintraub targeted The Mark specifically, his actions suggest a deep-seated grudge. After his initial banishment, Weintraub’s family made a dinner reservation at the hotel’s restaurant, only to be stopped by security, who informed them that their son was not allowed on the property. Weintraub’s father, Dr. Philip J. Weintraub, had to calm him down, and he even handed his business card to hotel staff, asking them to directly contact him if his son caused further trouble.
The hotel’s managers grew fed up with the ongoing disruptions and filed a lawsuit for defamation against Weintraub. They also sought a restraining order to prevent him or anyone representing him from picketing outside the hotel. The hotel specifically addressed Weintraub’s claims, including the denial of the Holocaust, support for Jeffrey Epstein, support for sexual assault, and being a source of infectious disease.
The lawsuit maintains that the allegations made by Weintraub are false and harmful to the hotel’s reputation, which has a prestigious standing in the city. The general manager of The Mark, Etienne Haro, emphasized that the hotel had never denied the Holocaust nor had any connection with Epstein. Haro asserted that Weintraub’s actions were a deliberate attempt to tarnish the hotel’s reputation and business integrity.
Witnesses in the neighborhood perceive Weintraub’s protests as an eccentricity rather than a genuine menace, rating it a “2” on the scale of crazy things typically seen in New York City. However, the hotel, accustomed to hosting celebrities and the super-rich, has taken a stand against Weintraub’s disruptive behavior by pursuing legal action to protect its reputation and relationships.